quote:Switching gears again, Greenman explained that he thought the character of Bouncing Boy in the Legion of Super-Heroes was very silly and pointless, he asked the panelists what super hero they thought was the most foolish or silly.
Lethem said that when he was younger he and his friends would try to invent a superhero with the most useless and illogical powers, such as characters named Inaudible Girl who had the power to be impossible to hear or Chronos, who always knew exactly what time it was. However, if forced to choose an existing property, Lethem admitted that to him another Legion character, Matter-Eater Lad, was probably the most silly.
The panelists were Morrison, Kring, Mignola & Letham. Letham is the new writer on Omega The Unknown. Comes from a TV background I believe. Kring is the creator of Heroes.
Morrison's answer was the original Red Bee. Mignola answered with a character he's worked on before Rocket Racoon.
I wonder how many fans Inaudible Girl will have by the end of this thread.
From: Tampa | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:A fan asked Morrison about the archetypes he was discussing earlier in the panel. The fan wanted to know what overall story and idea was behind Morrison's controversial run on “New X-men.”
Morrison stated that the X-men can be used to signify any group. According to Morrison, while writing “New X-Men,” he was thinking about what he sees as a current “war on kids” by society. Morrison thinks that, “in a way, the current generation of those in power hate kids because the kids will eventually take over. There is a ‘hatred of our own success' feeling about it all. So ‘New X-men' was dealing with this, how the mutants were evolving and were going to replace normal humans over time, and the problems this caused.”
Morrison just made Waid's underager "Eat It Grandpa" cool. Imagine if he actually wrote the Legion!
From: Tampa | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
1) Never heard of Inaudible Girl (hee hee).
2) It is natural that a generation nurtures and teaches the following generation to not only succeed them but to exceed them. Any generation that would wish ill on a following generation is power crazy or just plain sick. Probably why Waid's recent vision of the Legion never caught on with me - I prefer a somewhat optimistic future rather than a de-generating one.
-------------------- "My dance card was getting fuller than a contestant's at a Jandan shurg-off." - Exnihil, The Lost Klordny
From: Frederick, MD | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
I have read several things by Lethem, including his novel Fortress of Solitude (which was actually pretty good). Lethem is a Marvel guy through and through, dating back to the '70s. He has no time at all for DC. And the Legion, after all, is one of the DCest of all DC properties. So none of this is surprising.
posted
I found a copy of "Shut Up, Already!" the Inaudible Girl annual from the summer of 1978 in the quarter bin at the local CBS. It told the story of her first encounter with the Loudmouth Twins. This thing was mint! The fool had no idea what he had. I sold it on EBAY for $207.50. I still had my copy from when I was twelve.
(I need to start proofreading my posts before I add them)
[ October 09, 2007, 12:49 PM: Message edited by: Language Arts Lad ]
-------------------- All you need is Love (and a whole big bucket of Money).
From: Lost in the Ozone Again | Registered: Dec 2005
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Speaking of Language Arts Lad I've mentioned a few times about Claremont's Doug Ramsey/Cypher about being a more modern take on Bouncing Boy and Matter Eater Lad.
I've learned to appreciate Chuck Taine and Tenzil Kim. Infact I've always loved Chuck and Tenzil. Bouncing Boy and Matter Eater Lad on the other hand? I don't dismiss the characters cause I love their personalities while I hate their powers.
I would LOVE to see a new Legionnaire with a silly power and have an elder Chuck or Tenzil give them a pep talk or mentor them!
From: Tampa | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Wow! I wonder if Chronos is related to Rockhopper's buddy Time Teller Lad!
-------------------- "Hey Jim! Get Mon out of the Zone!! And...when do we get Condo back?"
From: Paragon City on patrol | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:I would LOVE to see a new Legionnaire with a silly power and have an elder Chuck or Tenzil give them a pep talk or mentor them!
I think this was a large part of the appeal of the Legion originally- this notion that everyone contributed even if their power was silly. You didn't need the big guns to solve cases, those Legionnaires with the less flashy powers were valued members, too. Phantom Girl and Triplicate Girl could stop the bad guys just as readily s Ultra Boy and Mon-El.
-------------------- All you need is Love (and a whole big bucket of Money).
From: Lost in the Ozone Again | Registered: Dec 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Language Arts Lad: I think this was a large part of the appeal of the Legion originally- this notion that everyone contributed even if their power was silly. You didn't need the big guns to solve cases, those Legionnaires with the less flashy powers were valued members, too. Phantom Girl and Triplicate Girl could stop the bad guys just as readily s Ultra Boy and Mon-El.
I agree, absolutely. As I've said before, one of my favorite Legion stories is "The Impossible Target" from Superboy # 199, wherein Bouncing Boy singlehandely defeats a villain who underestimated him.
The idea that Legionnaires don't have to be powerhouses resonates with the idea that everyone is unique: We can contribute something valuable to society with what we have; we do not have to compete with others to be worthy of respect, admiration, and even love. This idea tends to get lost in some versions of the Legion, but it is, I think, necessary to what makes the Legion the Legion.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
A "weak" power can be a catalyst for self-growth and the realization of "hidden strengths". Having to push harder than more "powerful" Legionnaires, those with weaker powers can be much more interesting characters with greater depth, I think, and maybe even better role models. I could identify with them quite a lot as a kid. It was one of the things that amazed me in the Legion.
From: Somewhere in the Multiverse | Registered: Apr 2006
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